Garforth House is a

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building in York, England. The house lies at 54

Micklegate Micklegate is a street in the City of York, England. The name means "Great Street", "gate" coming from the Old Norse ''gata'', or street. Micklegate is described by York City Council as "one of the most handsome streets in Yorkshire", and was d ...

, in the city centre. The site was occupied by two tenements in early-18th century, one of which was purchased by William Garforth, and the other by his nephew, Edmund Garforth. In the 1750s, they cleared the site for the construction of Garforth House, which is generally believed to have been designed by

John Carr of York John Carr (1723–1807) was a prolific English architect, best known for Buxton Crescent in Derbyshire and Harewood House in West Yorkshire. Much of his work was in the Palladian style. In his day he was considered to be the leading architect in ...

. It was completed around 1757, and Edmund lived there with his wife, Elizabeth, but they soon began letting it out. In 1831, it was sold to Barnard Hague. In 1912, St Margaret's Independent Grammar School for Girls, a small religious school, moved into the building. It remained at the site until it closed, in 1968, after which the building was used as offices. In 2010, it was sold and reconverted to residential use. The house is of three stories, and its brick front was originally symmetrical, although the door on the right of the ground floor was later replaced by a window. It has stone

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, t ...

s, and in its pediment is an

oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...

window. Its original lamp brackets survive, while balconies were added to the second-floor windows in the 19th century. The rear is of a lighter brick, and has an original drainpipe. Inside, the three floors above ground have richly decorated rooms utilising marble, many of which had original fireplaces. It has an unusual plan for the period, based on an "H" shape, with the main staircase at the rear, and a large saloon on the first floor overlooking the garden.

References

{{coord, 53.95744, -1.08786, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade I listed buildings in York Houses completed in 1757 Houses in York Micklegate